Forging Beauty

Art is a word that brings to mind a number of mediums, images and emotions. For many, it is a subject of occasional interest—a museum once visited or a construction paper- and paste-filled memory from long-ago school days. But for others, art is a state of being, an expressive existence fueled by creativity, connectivity and vision. These folks work from inspiration to design to completion so that their love of beauty and form can be experienced by others. These folks see art as integral, not peripheral. These folks are Matthew and Karine Maynard.

One step inside the Maynard Studios compound—ground zero for Matthew and Karine’s metal wizardry—and it becomes apparent that this is no ordinary blacksmith operation. Located along a verdant stretch of Fox Creek Road in Anderson County, the Maynard complex houses the company’s offices, employee and client collaboration space, an expansive metal shop and the Maynards themselves. A gravel path adjacent to the main drive and professional buildings leads to a vintage home that reflects their design aesthetic and has been a labor of love for the couple.

“We redid pretty much all of this,” said Karine, pointing to an airy kitchen space complete with a hand-hewn wooden table, delightfully creaky original hardwood floors and a massive hearth. “I always wanted a fireplace in the kitchen.”

A short walk down the path ends at a bustling shop and a spectacular view of the hilly countryside. Inside, stair railings, fireplace grates, tools and architectural artwork projects are in various stages of progress, as painstaking detail work is completed one swirl and bend at a time. You might say, in fact, that the coming together of Matthew and Karine personally and professionally was itself a crafted, swirling bit of artistry.

“I had formal art training and always assumed I would become a college professor,” Karine said. Matthew, whose background was in welding and machinery, remembers being inspired by a set of books that belonged to his grandfather. “The Foxfire books influenced me,” he said. “They were about disappearing aspects of Appalachian life. My grandfather had those books and a makeshift forge in the barn.”

Both Karine and Matthew believe in using their talent to turn the client’s ideas into something unique and meaningful. “It may be classical or contemporary; the client drives the design,” said Karine.

“It’s their vision,” added Matthew, “but our handwriting.” And that handwriting is on display in countless Kentucky homes and businesses, as well as across the country and abroad. “We are currently working in South Carolina and San Francisco,” Karine said, “and we have worked in Manhattan and Boston and have shipped handrails and hardware to Europe.”

The times to complete projects vary, but they all take a while. “We need to be contacted six to eight weeks before we can start,” said Karine. “Often, people call us when they are just breaking ground.” Small pieces can be completed in two to three weeks, but the average time is around eight to 16 weeks, with large jobs taking anywhere from six or seven months to two years.

A perusal of their creations leaves no doubt that art drives the process. Their pieces are functional, to be sure, but there is an aesthetic to everything they do that captures color, tone and movement and makes the viewer forget that steel is the medium. Steel, not wrought iron, is the accurate term here, as Karine explained the difference: “It used to be that wrought iron was exactly that—iron that was ‘wrought’ by human hands. But wrought iron now really refers to hand-forged steel.”

Using finishes such as blackening, Gilders Paste and gold leaf enable the Maynards to create multi-tonal pieces that reflect the mood and design of their space. “We have a deep respect for tradition,” Karine said, “and look back to the techniques of the 20th century. But we use modern technology as well.”

The technology may be modern, but the final product has a timeless feel. Much like Impressionist painters infusing movement and emotion into their work, Matthew and Karine create inanimate objects that exude life and flow seamlessly into their surroundings. The Apiary in Lexington showcases some of their finest pieces in stair railings, gates, chandeliers, gas lamps and plaques. Garden gates display beautiful steel vines weaving around one another and “growing” intricately detailed leaves. A garden fence is a spreading masterpiece of curving “branches” that give permanence to the ever-changing space, and an oak leaf window grill looks as though it were plucked right off the lawn in autumn.

“If you keep a keen eye for detail,” Matthew said, “it shows in the whole project.”

One of their most common requests is for stair railings, and the Maynards do anything but the ordinary. “We never make the same thing twice,” Karine said. “We get to know people and create something just for them.”

One instance involved a large bent piece of cedar from their property that Matthew decided to hang on to because it was “just too cool.” When they were commissioned to design a stair railing for a client, the piece served as the banister atop the gorgeously detailed metal railing. Another time, a client had an actual ship’s wheel he wanted incorporated into the railing. Matthew and Karine decided it needed a more prominent position: Rather than simply mounting it under the banister as an interesting piece of the design, the wheel sits attached to the to upper railing in much the same way it would be on a ship. Any “captain” who wishes to approach the helm may spin the wheel to his heart’s content.

“This is a kinetic piece of art,” Karine said with a smile and respectful nod to the dignity of the antique. “Who wants to be bolted down in their retirement?”

Their “Salvador Dali railing” is a study in evolving emotion reminiscent of the Surrealist icon. At first glance, it is a stunning piece of metalwork, complete with curves and hand-hammered bits—but the eye is quickly drawn to the incredible detail work and an effect known as puddling, where the steel seems to ooze and puddle in an almost eerie form of movement.

“We were one of the first to do puddling,” Karine said. “It’s a great dripping metal effect.”

At yet another job, the Maynards incorporated antique pieces the client had collected into an Italianate design complete with hand-forged acanthus leaves and florets, all in a beautiful, weathered patina. “When we put in time, soul and passion, you get back more than the cost of the project,” Matthew said.

With only about 500 professional blacksmiths in the United States, it is little wonder that the exquisite skill of these craftsmen is highly sought after. That they create their art in the heart of the Bluegrass is something Matthew and Karine celebrate.

“Kentucky is really supportive of the arts, and this is just naturally a great location,” said Matthew, citing the geographical benefits of being within striking distance of several major cities, airports and shipping hubs, and the ease of travel to clients and project locations.

The Maynards also participate in events such as the 2018 Art Trail, which enables the public to meet various artists, learn about what they do and purchase some of their wares. This year’s event, sponsored by the Anderson County Arts Council, will be Nov. 3 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and includes the Maynards’ establishment as well as pottery and art studios.

In the end, it’s all about the art for Matthew and Karine. The functionality of their pieces is critical, but steel is their muse, and its manifestation as something useful is secondary to the visceral response it brings. “Architectural ironwork has a purpose much like painting and sculpture,” Karine said. “There is no reason to do it other than beauty.”